First report on the Galaxy Note 8 suggests Samsung is going big

“Galaxy Note” has become a dirty phrase associated with fire and disappointment in the last few months, so it’s easy to forget that the Note series used to be Samsung’s flagship. Before it started spontaneously combusting, reviews fawned over the Note 7’s non-flammable design and features like the iris sensor.

So obviously, Samsung is going to want to get its reputation back with the next Note device, set to land later this year. With a launch not expected until October, we don’t have much by the way of leaks yet, but what we do have looks good.

A report from SamMobileclaims that the in-house codename for the Galaxy Note 8 is “Great.” That’s a good sign for things to come, unless Samsung is trying some kind of Jedi mind trick to confuse the world’s tech bloggers.

The Galaxy Note 8 is going to have a tough time this year, as it will likely be debuting right after the iPhone 8. Apple is expected to go all-in this year with a new iPhone 8 model as well as incremental upgrades to the existing lineup with the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus. The iPhone 8 is likely to feature a 5.8-inch OLED display with minimal bezel, a fingerprint sensor built into the screen, and the possibility of an Apple Pencil-like stylus.

That makes the iPhone 8 a direct competitor to what has previously been easy Note sales, thanks to the big screen that the Note devices are famous for. Even worse for the Note 8, SamMobile is also reporting that we might see a refurbished Note 7 launched in South Korea. That’s good news for the environment, as it means the Note 7 might end up as more than just landfill, but it’s not exactly going to do wonders for Note 8 sales.